Evan Mobley has been named the 2024-25 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Cleveland Cavaliers center-forward has won the award for the first time.
A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner of the award. The 23-year-old surpassed Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels and Golden State’s Draymond Green for the coveted honour.
He also became the second-youngest player in history to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year honours, and only the fifth 23-year-old to do so after Alvin Robertson (1985-86), Dwight Howard (2008-09), Kawhi Leonard (2014-15) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (2022-23). No player younger than 23 has ever won the award, which has been presented annually since the 1982-83 season.
“It was a big goal of mine coming into this year,” said Mobley. “I was focused on it [for] the majority of the year. It just feels great to finally come and get this award.”
Between Evan Mobley and the Award
Mobley produced a phenomenal performance during the regular season. On defence, he averaged 1.6 blocks and 7.0 defensive rebounds per game, while contesting 10.4 shots. On offence, he averaged 18.5 points and 3.2 assists per game, making his presence felt on the court.
In the 2024-25 regular season, Mobley ranked sixth in the NBA in blocked shots per game (1.59) and 13th in defensive rebounds per game (7.0). He contested 10.4 shots per game, the third most among players who played in at least 70% of their team’s games (58 of 82).
Opponents shot 44.5% from the field when Mobley was the closest defender, 3.2% lower than their expected percentage on those shots (47.7%). That difference was the fourth largest among the 30 players who defended at least 1,000 shots for the season.
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Mobley bagged the NBA Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month Award on two occasions, December and February. He was also named an NBA All-Star for the first time.
Overall, Mobley averaged 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 30.5 minutes in 71 games. He helped the Cavaliers (64-18) finish with the second-best record in franchise history and earn the No. 1 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
